Support roller for printed webs



March 17, 1953 OFFEN 2,631,384

SUPPORT ROLLER FOR PRINTED WEBS Filed Jan. 11, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l FIG.3

March 17, 1953 B. OFFEN SUPPORT ROLLER FOR PRINTED WEBS 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Jan. 11, 1951 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Mar. 17, .1953 w UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUPPORT .ROLLER FOR :PRINTED WEBS Bernard Ofien, Chicago, 111.

Application January ll, 1951, Serial No. 205,485

7 4'Claims. 1

This invention relates to support rollers for printed webs and more particularly to a roller having spaced portions adapted :to .support a printed web passing thereover without smearing theink-or making-the printed web dirty.

In some web offset printing presses, itis common practiceto print on'both sides of the paper web at the same-time. When it is necessary to pass the printed web through a dryer, it will be appreciated it is extremely difiicult to keep the paper clean and to prevent the .ink from smearing during its passage into and through the dryers since contact by the printedsurfaces :with rollers over which .it passes smears the wet ink and spreads the smeared ink overthe paper web. Another disadvantage rises due to the fact that a greater number of lead pages are being printedso thatmargins between the pages are made smaller or eliminated thereby increasing the chances of "smearingwetink since "it is necessary that the so-called marginal rollers come in contact with theprinted surfaces rather than into contact with unprinted portions of the web.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a support roller for a printed web which greatly decreases the chances of smearing wet ink and which assists greatly in maintaining a clean sheet.

Anobject of the present invention is to provide a support roller for use in combination with a A further object is'to provide a marginal roller carrying ring members adjustable longitudinally of the roller so that such members may be placed in a position to support a printed web without materially smearing the printed surfaces of the web. Other objects of the invention will be readily perceived from the following description.

The attached drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a dryer provided with web support rollers of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation of a roller carrying the support rings of the present invention;

Figure 3 is an exaggerated view in elevation of a portion of a roller showing the manner in which the rings are secured in place;

Figure 4 is a sectional view drawn to an enlarged scale of the ring covering or surfacing material;

Figure 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a modified roller;

Figure 6 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section of a marginal roller;

Figure 'Tis a view in elevation of the end ofthe roller shown inFigure'fi; and

FigureSIis a fragmentary sectional viewillus- 'tratinga modified marginal roller.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a dryer .2 having .a drying chamber 3 into which printed webs 4 are passed to dry the inkand having at least one chilling roll 5 for each web 4 to cool .the heated web prior to its passage to the folder or other equipment. Any suitable means may be provided to heat the printed webs in the dryer .as is well known.

vIt will be appreciated it is necessary to pass the printed web, printed on one or both surfaces, over idler rolls before the ink on the web is dry. .Any or .all of theidler rolls 6 shown in Figure .1 may he formed in accordance with the present invention.

Referring to Figures 2, 3, and 4, roll 6 comprises a shaft '1 having end portions 8 adapted to be journalled in suitable bearings. Aplurality of rings 9 are spaced longitudinally of shaft 1 to support the printed web. Each ring'B consists of .a perforated metal strip 10 having perforations ll therein, the perforations extending beyond'the plane of the strip l0 so that the walls forming the perforation serve to support the printed web; thus only a minor portion of each ring contacts the printed web thereby reducing smearing of wet ink to a minimum and assisting in keeping the web clean. Preferably, the perforations 'l I are formed by punching spaced portions of strip ID to raise the walls of each perforation above the plane of the ring. The rings are pinned as shown in Figure 3 at l2 to secure them to shaft 1. The joints of the rings are staggered and if desired the rings may be pinned to the shaft at two additional places on each side of the joint.

In Figure 5, a modified support roll is shown. A shaft l5 carries a plurality of sleeves It at tached to the shaft by set screws I! so that the sleeves may be moved longitudinally of the shaft. A recess I8 is provided in each sleeve l6 which extends circumferentially about the sleeve. Perforated metal covering 19 as described above is placed in the recess, the raised portions 20 of the covering extending beyond the plane of the sleeve to support the printed web.

In Figures 6 and 7, there is shown a portion of a marginal roller' provided with the supporting surface of the present invention. The roller consists of a shaft 20 having a plurality of rings or sleeves 2| spaced therein. The rings 2! are attached to shaft 20 by means of set screws 22 thereby enabling the rings 2| to be placed in any desired position longitudinally of the shaft. Each ring 2| carries the perforated metal covering 23 above described, the ends 24 of the covering being placed in a slot 25 in the ring and being 3 held therein by a wedge 26. The marginal roller described may be placed in positions in which the printing is light thereby reducing the tendency to mark the printed paper to a minimum.

In Figure 8, there is shown a modified marginal roller. The ring 2| shown has its circumferential surface recessed as shown at 21, the perforated metal covering 23 being placed in the recess, the walls of the perforations extending beyond the plane of the ring 2| to support the printed web. In other respects, the roller of Figure 8 is similar to the roller shown in Figures 6 and 7.

The present invention provides a dryer arrangement for printed webs which is so constructed as to prevent the ink from smearing where it contacts the support rollers. The support roller is so designed that only a minimum amount of its surface contacts the printed web. The rollers are provided with contact surfaces which are adjustable longitudinally of the shaft. Such contact surfaces afford ample support for the printed sheet and permit a commercially clean sheet to be obtained.

Use of the support rollers of the present invention permits a longer drying time since the web may make a number of passes through the dryer thus permitting drying at lower temperatures and higher speeds while obtaining a clean sheet and eliminating smearing of the ink. The marginal rollers provided by my invention are economical, the supporting surfaces being adjustable to permit placement in the margins of the printed paper or between the margins while providing adequate support for the paper ink and reducing to a minimum any tendency to mark the sheet.

While I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood my invention is not limited thereto since it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a dryer through which a web printed on one or both sides passes, at least one support for the printed web which comprises a shaft, a plurality of metal sleeves mounted on the shaft, each metal sleeve being adjustable longitudinally of the shaft and having a recess formed in its circumferential surface, and a covering placed in the recess having spaced portions 4 raised beyond the periphery of the covering, the raised portions of the covering rising above the external peripheral surface of the sleeve.

2. A support roller for printed webs which comprises a shaft, a plurality of metal sleeves mounted on the shaft, a set-screw securing each sleeve to the shaft thereby permitting each sleeve to be moved longitudinally of the shaft, each sleeve having a recess formed in its circumferential surface, a covering placed in the recess, the covering having perforation formed by punching spaced portions thereof to raise the walls of each perforation beyond the periphery of the covering, the raised portions of the covering rising above the external peripheral surface of the sleeve and formin a support for the printed web.

3. A marginal roller for use in web offset printing presses which comprises a shaft, a plurality of metal sleeves mounted on the shaft, each sleeve being adjustable longitudinally of the shaft, each sleeve having a recess therein extending circumferentially thereof, and a covering placed in the recess having raised portions thereon extending beyond the peripheral surface of the sleeve to form a support for the printed web.

4. A marginal roller according to claim 3 in which the raised portions comprise perforations formed by punching spaced portions of the covering to raise the walls thereof above the peripheral surface of the sleeve.

BERNARD OFFEN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 364,878 Wilkinson June 14, 1887 1,140,254 Cooper May 18, 1915 1,325,760 Sheldon Dec. 23, 1919 1,469,048 Nelson Sept. 25, 1923 1,557,282 Henrichon Oct. 13, 1925 1,686,597 Bock Oct. 9, 1928 1,794,896 Hauck Mar. 3, 1931 1,924,612 McCorkindale Aug. 29, 1933 2,011,181 Melton et al. Aug. 13, 1935 2,040,998 Jump May 19, 1936 2,445,271 Huebner July 13, 1948 2,561,761 Tempe July 24, 1951 

